UNC basketball has done everything necessary to keep its March Madness hopes alive. Pete Nance and the Tar Heels have one thing to thank: Lemon Oreos.
Win and you might be in — that was the non-verbal edict for UNC basketball after its Feb. 19 road loss to rival NC State to fall to 16-11 on the season. And since that loss, the Tar Heels have taken care of business to keep the dream of a March Madness berth alive.
On Monday night, they won a game that won’t help them in any Bracketology projections for the field of 68 but that they couldn’t afford to lose, topping Florida State 77-66. That win came two days after North Carolina picked up its first Quad 1 win over the season in beating Virginia, a game that Pete Nance starred in.
The Northwestern transfer dominated UVA in the 71-63 win as he put up a team-high 22 points with two rebounds, two assists and four blocks while going 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from deep. His encore against FSU was impressive too. Nance showed up big again with 15 points, 10 boards, two assists, a steal and a block.
There’s a reason for all of this too, though not one you might expect. It’s all about the Lemon Oreos.
UNC Basketball: Pete Nance helping keep Tar Heels alive thanks to Lemon Oreos
After the Virginia win, Ross Martin of Inside Carolina reported that UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis met with Nance and found out that the grad transfer loves Lemon Oreos. So he got his big man a pack, which he ate all of before going out and dominating the Hoos.
It didn’t stop there, though, after that story was reported, the Tar Heels arrived in Tallahassee and already had roughly two dozen boxes of the sweet treat waiting for them at the team’s hotel.
And if you think this is all just coincidence, Nance even had a message after the win over the Seminoles, potentially searching for a little bit of NIL love.
If Lemon Oreos is all it took to get the Tar Heels to play like this, you have to wish that Davis would’ve made this discovery sooner. One thing’s for certain now, though, if UNC basketball indeed finds itself in the March Madness bracket, they better have a stash of the cookies wherever they head for their first matchup.
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